A record in cPanel: how to add, edit or delete it in Zone Editor

In short: an A record tells the internet which IPv4 address a name such as example.md or shop.example.md belongs to. In cPanel you manage it under Domains, then Zone Editor. These changes only take effect when the domain uses the TopHost nameservers ns4.tophost.md and ns5.tophost.md.

When you need to touch an A record

• The website stays on another server (or a site builder) while the domain's DNS is managed at TopHost.
• A subdomain, for example crm.example.md, must open a service hosted elsewhere.
• An external service asks you to point a name to its IP address.

For an IPv6 address the record type is AAAA, not A. The steps are the same.

Check two things first

1. Who serves the DNS of the domain. If the nameservers are not ns4.tophost.md and ns5.tophost.md (for example the domain is on Cloudflare or on the registrar's DNS), make the change there. An edit in cPanel would have no effect.
2. The correct IP address. The address of your TopHost hosting is shown in cPanel, in the General Information panel on the right, as Shared IP Address. For an external service, copy the address it gives you.

Adding a new A record

1. Log in to cPanel and open Domains, then Zone Editor.
   
2. Find the domain in the list and click + A Record next to it.
3. In Name, type the name the record is for. For a subdomain it is enough to type the first part, such as crm; cPanel completes it with the domain.
4. In Address, enter the IPv4 address, for example 203.0.113.10.
5. Confirm with the add button in the same window. The record appears in the zone at once.

Changing or removing an existing record

1. In Zone Editor, click Manage next to the domain.
2. Use the A filter at the top to see only A records.
3. Click Edit on the row you want, change the address and click Save Record.
4. To remove a record, click Delete on its row and confirm. Deletion cannot be undone, so note the old value before you remove it.

Moving only the website? Think about e-mail first

In a standard cPanel zone the MX record points to the domain name itself. If you change the A record of example.md to another server, incoming mail will also be sent to that server. When the mailboxes must stay at TopHost, open a support ticket before the change and we will adjust the mail records so that only the website moves.

How long until the change is visible

Most networks see the new address within a few hours; the full update can take 24 to 48 hours. The TTL value of a record (often 14400 seconds, that is 4 hours) sets how long other servers keep the old answer. If you plan a move, lower the TTL to 300 a day before the change.

To check what the internet sees, run nslookup example.md in a terminal or the Windows command prompt. To open the site on the new server before DNS has updated everywhere, see How to access the site while it is being delegated.

Common mistakes

• Two A records for the same name with different addresses: visitors land on either server at random. Keep only one, unless you really want both.
• The record was changed for example.md but not for www.example.md, so the site opens only with one form of the address.
• A CNAME already exists for that name. A name cannot have a CNAME and an A record at the same time; delete one of them.
• The full domain was typed into Name for a subdomain, which can produce a name like crm.example.md.example.md. Check the name shown in the list after saving.

If the domain still opens the wrong site after 48 hours, open a ticket and tell us the domain and the address it should lead to.

Related articles

• MX records in cPanel
• TXT records in cPanel
• DNS records for Google Search Console and Shopify
• How to access the site while it is being delegated